Terrelle Pryor, talking to reporters for the first time in three weeks, said he wasn't surprised that he lost his starting quarterback job after getting injured last month. Because, he said, he didn't lose his job to undrafted rookie Matt McGloin.

"I don't call it losing my job," Pryor said. "I got hurt and he came in and played well. I don't call it losing my job. You know, did he end up playing well and he's helping the team? However you want to call it."

Pryor is trying to take the high road as McGloin prepares for his fifth straight start Sunday, against Kansas City. Pryor said his attitude is "great."

"Right now, Matt's the quarterback and the only thing I can do right now is control what I can control," Pryor said. "Keep getting better. And that's where we're at."

Pryor, who threw for 1,559 yards and ran for 504 in eight starts, injured his knee against the Eagles on Nov. 3 and then didn't play well in a loss the following week, to the Giants in New Jersey. He blamed his knee injury and told reporters that he had a sprained medial collateral ligament. That upset head coach Dennis Allen, who said Pryor had not conveyed before the game that the knee was bothering him.

The injury made it easy for Allen to turn to McGloin, and it's possible he was thinking of making a switch anyway. Pryor threw eight interceptions and one touchdown pass in his last four starts.

Pryor said he and his knee were ready two weeks ago, but his starting job was gone.

"That's Coach Allen's deal," he said. "I respect Coach Allen and I respect his decisions. I know everyone in here respects his decisions. So, whatever it is, it is. I could sit here and say I disagree, this and that, but at the end of the day he is our leader and he is the one who has to make those tough decisions."

McGloin has 957 passing yards, six touchdown passes and three interceptions in his four starts. The Raiders (4-9) are 1-3 in those games after going 3-5 with Pryor and 0-1 with Matt Flynn.